Pune JM Road blasts: ‘Accused avoided cellphones on Aug 1’

The investigations by Pune police crime branch and ATS have revealed that the alleged IM operatives arrested by Delhi police special cell for their alleged involvement in the blasts did not use cellphones during the operation to avoid getting caught.

The investigations by Pune police crime branch and Maharashtra anti-terrorism squad (ATS) in the Jungli Maharaj (JM) Road blasts have revealed that the alleged Indian Mujahideen (IM) operatives arrested by Delhi police special cell for their alleged involvement in the blasts did not use cellphones during the operation to avoid getting caught.

The arrested people did not use their phones neither before nor on the day the blasts took place.
Speaking to DNA on condition of anonymity, a Pune police crime branch senior officer said, “We have not found the cellphone numbers of any of the arrested people from the data of calls made from Deccan area on July 31 and August 1. We rechecked the data after the arrests were made by Delhi police.”

After Delhi police made the arrests, the police had obtained details of the mobile and phone numbers of the arrested people, their relatives and associates. “We are not in a position to ascertain whether the suspects had obtained new SIM cards during the operation,” the officer said, adding that the suspects may have avoided phone calls to ensure that the trail goes cold.

An officer associated with the probe said, “Similar tactics were used by terrorists in the German Bakery (GB) blast case. During a recent trial it came to light that the cellphone of Himayat Baig, the lone arrested in the case, was in Aurangabad on the day of GB blast. The JM Road blasts perpetrators may have employed similar modus operandi.”

Maharashtra ATS has sought custody of the five alleged IM operatives involved in the blasts case.

The Delhi police on September 26 had arrested Asad Khan (33) and Imran Khan (31) in South Delhi. Sayed Feroz (38) of Pune was nabbed in Delhi. The other suspects are Irfan from Ahmednagar and Sayed Maqbool from Hyderabad.